COMPANY NEWS; BAYER RECEIVES APPROVAL TO TEST BLOOD PLASMA FOR H.I.V.

Bayer, the German drug and chemical maker, received regulatory approval in the United States to test for H.I.V. in blood plasma, enabling Bayer to confirm the safety of plasma used in its treatments. The Food and Drug Administration also approved a Roche Holding test for H.I.V. in blood plasma, and Bayer uses some of that technology. The test, which examines nucleic acid in blood plasma, is as sensitive as those available through commercial laboratories, Bayer said. Bayer, based in Leverkusen, Germany, will be the first plasma processor to conduct internal testing of plasma after the F.D.A. approval, meaning infected donors can be notified and prevented from making further donations.